An Unexpected Love Story (Love Story Book Two) by Rachel Schurig Read Free Book Online Page A

take great care of it. I was just expecting more of a…a hunting, forest theme, I guess.”
    “A hunting forest theme?” I asked, grinning in spite of myself. “What does that mean? Stuffed animal heads on the wall? Camo-patterned wallpaper?”
    He laughed. It was a great laugh, deep and warm. It made my toes feel tingly. “No. I was thinking more like wood paneling, lots of plaid. You know.”
    “You mean kind of like down here,” I said, looking around the dark dining room morosely.
    “Hey, it works,” he said, catching my expression. “I’m just saying the suite is a lot more sophisticated and minimalist than I would have expected.”
    “It used to be pretty much how you described it,” I admitted. “I got to redecorate the third floor last year after some flooding. For the first time it was my design decision, not my parents.”
    “So I should be happy I’m not slumming it down on the second floor?”
    I laughed. “If you’re not crazy about animal-motif curtains.”
    John reached for his drink and took a sip. I couldn’t help but notice he hadn’t touched his sandwich since I sat down. Again, I felt a little thrill.
    “Why did you get design decision-making power?”
    “It was the first redecorating that needed to be done since I took over the management,” I explained. “I’ve only been the manager for four years.”
    “And what did you do before that?” he asked.
    “I was in school.” Just then Mary appeared with my sandwich. After I had thanked her, I got to work spreading steak sauce on the bread. “I love these sandwiches,” I told John. “We have the best cook for miles around.”
    “Mine is pretty good,” he agreed, looking down at his sandwich as if he forgotten it was there. He looked up at me and grinned. “But I have to tell you, it pales in comparison to the company.”
    I was surprised when I felt myself blush. I rarely blushed, and John had made me do so three times now in one morning. His grin grew bigger. “You were saying something about school?”
    “Umm,” I said, feeling slightly dazed from the combination of his compliment and his grin. “Uh, yeah. I grew up here and then went away to school. I was planning to get my degree and move somewhere much more exciting.”
    “What happened?” he asked, leaning an inch or two closer.
    “My dad broke his hip. It was tough on them trying to handle everything with him out of commission. I came home to help out for a while when I graduated…”
    I trailed off. I didn’t like the idea of telling this stranger what I had found when I got back and got my hands on the books. As cute as John was, he was still a guest. He didn’t need to hear the gory details of missed tax payments, vendors threatening to sue…I didn’t think my parents even realized how close to ruin they had been.
    “And the rest is history?” John asked when it was clear that I wasn’t going to continue. I smiled at him gratefully.
    “Let’s just say I couldn’t bring myself to leave.”
    We finally turned our attention to our food, eating in silence for a moment. I tried to keep from thinking about the state of the place when I’d returned. It had taken so much work to bring it back from the brink. I had put my heart and soul into the success of this inn, and I was more proud of it than I had ever let on.
    “What about you?” I finally asked. “What do you do?”
    “I’m a lawyer,” he said. Well, that explained the fancy clothes. “I have a few meetings in the area through Monday.”
    “Is your practice close by?”
    He laughed. “Only if you consider Chicago close.”
    “Oh, that’s right, you said this morning you drove up from Chicago.” Of course I had remembered that tidbit, but there was no sense in letting him know how much I’d been thinking about him already.
    He didn’t offer up any more information, and I didn’t want to pry, so I let it go. “Well, let me know if you’re looking for something to fill up your free